Saber Conjugation Chart & Full Tense Guide

As one of the essential Spanish verbs, “saber”, meaning “to know” holds significant importance in everyday communication in Spanish.

It is one of the two verbs in Spanish meaning “to know”; the other is “conocer” which is used in different contexts.

Spanish verb conjugation for irregular verbs like “saber” might seem to be a daunting task but learning how to conjugate ”saber” is important for handling a basic conversation. 

I’m James, from Learn Spanish With James, and in this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover the conjugation of the Spanish verb “saber” in all its forms, from the infinitive “saber” to its irregular verb forms in compound tenses.

Let’s explore the various tenses and forms of “saber” to help you speak Spanish with confidence and accuracy.

Present Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	sé
you	tú	sabes
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	sabe
we	nosotros,nosotras	sabemos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	sabéis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	saben

When We Use The Present Tense

In Spanish, we use the present simple tense of the verb “saber” in the indicative mood to indicate knowledge or information one possesses at the moment of speaking.

It can express facts, abilities, or knowing how to do something. 

I’ll provide a couple of example here: “sé hablar español” (I know how to speak Spanish) and “ella sabe la respuesta” (she knows the answer).

Examples of the Present Indicative “Saber” Conjugation

• Yo sé que soy estudiante. (I know that I am a student.)
• Tú sabes que eres mi mejor amigo. (You know that you are my best friend.)
• Él sabe que es doctor. (He knows that he is a doctor.)
• Ella sabe que es muy inteligente. (She knows that she is very intelligent.)
• Nosotros sabemos que somos compañeros de clase. (We know that we are classmates.)
• Vosotros sabéis que sois los ganadores. (You all know that you are the winners.)
• Ellos saben que son hermanos. (They know that they are brothers.)
• Ustedes saben que son muy amables. (You know that you are very kind.)

Preterite Tense 

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	supe
you	tú	supiste
he, she. it, you (formal)	él, ella, usted	supo
we	nosotros, nosotras	supimos
you (plural)	vosotros, vosotras	supisteis
they, you (pl. formal)	ellos, ellas, ustedes	supieron

When We Use The Preterite Tense

We use the preterite tense of the verb “saber” in Spanish to indicate a specific moment in the past when knowledge or information was acquired. In English, we say “knew”.

This tense denotes a completed action or a fact that occurred at a specific time and was not ongoing. This makes it different from the imperfect tense; the two are often confused by my students.

Some examples of the preterite tense are as follows: “supe la respuesta” (I found out the answer), or “supiste la verdad” (you discovered the truth).

By the way, the imperfect tense of the verb saber is used far more frequently in Spain than the preterite tense. Even so, it’s important to memorise these conjugations.

Examples of the Preterite Tense “Saber” Conjugation

• Yo supe la respuesta correcta. (I knew the correct answer.)
• Tú supiste cómo resolver el problema. (You knew how to solve the problem.)
• Él supo la verdad sobre el incidente. (He found out the truth about the incident.)
• Ella supo la noticia antes que nadie. (She heard the news before anyone else.)
• Nosotros supimos el resultado del examen. (We found out the exam result.)
• Vosotros supisteis el plan secreto. (You all knew the secret plan.)
• Ellos supieron la fecha del evento. (They knew the date of the event.)
• Ustedes supieron la ubicación del tesoro. (You knew the location of the treasure.)

Imperfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	sabía
you	tú	sabías
he, she, it, you (formal)	él, ella, usted	sabía
we	nosotros, nosotras	sabíamos
you (plural)	vosotros, vosotras	sabíais
they, you(pl. formal)	ellos, ellas, ustedes	sabían

When We Use The Imperfect Tense

In Spanish, the imperfect tense of the verb “saber” is used to describe past habitual actions, ongoing states of knowing, or background information in narratives. 

It indicates knowledge or awareness that was continuous or repeated in the past without specifying a definite endpoint. 

For English speakers, this tense is a little tricky to understand, given that our literal translation is “was knowing” – not a construction we use in English very often, if at all. Another translation is “used to know” – this is much more common.

Examples of the imperfect tense form of “saber” are as follows: “sabía hablar francés” (I knew how to speak French), “sabías la respuesta” (you knew the answer), or “sabíamos que íbamos a ganar” (we knew we were going to win).

Notice that the English translations are the same as the translations from the preterite tense? You’ll need to learn when to use the preterite, and when to use the imperfect. 

Examples of the Imperfect Tense “Saber” Conjugation

• Yo sabía ser el primero en llegar. (I used to know how to be the first to arrive.)
• Tú sabías ser mi amigo cuando más te necesitaba. (You used to know how to be my friend when I needed you the most.)
• Él sabía ser un gran líder para nuestro equipo. (He used to know how to be a great leader for our team.)
• Ella sabía ser la mejor estudiante de la clase. (She used to know how to be the best student in the class.)
• Nosotros sabíamos ser campeones el año pasado. (We used to know how to be champions last year.)
• Vosotros sabíais ser invitados a la fiesta, ¿verdad? (You all used to know how to be invited to the party, right?)
• Ellos sabían ser los primeros en terminar el proyecto. (They used to know how to be the first to finish the project.)
• Ustedes sabían ser seleccionados para la beca. (You used to know how to be selected for the scholarship.)

Future Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	sabré
you	tú	sabrás
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	sabrá
we	nosotros,nosotras	sabremos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	sabréis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	sabrán

When We Use The Future Tense in Spanish

In Spanish, the future tense of the verb “saber” is used to indicate actions or events that will be known or learned in the future.

It implies anticipation or expectation regarding gaining knowledge or information. Here, the first person conjugation would be: “sabré la respuesta mañana” (I will know the answer tomorrow).

So, the literal translation is “will know”. Check out the example sentences below for further clarity.

Examples of “Saber” in the Future Tense

• Yo sabré la respuesta antes de la reunión. (I will know the answer before the meeting.)
• Tú sabrás la solución al problema más tarde. (You will know the solution to the problem later.)
• Él sabrá el resultado del examen pronto. (He will know the exam result soon.)
• Ella sabrá hablar francés con fluidez el próximo año. (She will know how to speak French fluently next year.)
• Nosotros sabremos la verdad al final de la investigación. (We will know the truth at the end of the investigation.)
• Vosotros sabréis la fecha exacta del evento mañana. (You all will know the exact date of the event tomorrow.)
• Ellos sabrán dónde encontrar la información necesaria. (They will know where to find the necessary information.)
• Ustedes sabrán cómo resolver el problema a su debido tiempo. (You will know how to solve the problem in due time.)

Conditional Tense 

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	sabría
you	tú	sabrías
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	sabría
we	nosotros,nosotras	sabríamos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	sabríais
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	sabrían

When We Use The Conditional Tense

The conditional tense of the verb “saber” is used to express hypothetical situations, possibilities, or future actions dependent on certain conditions. It denotes knowing or learning something under a particular circumstance or condition.

The literal translation into English is “would know”.

For instance, “sabría la respuesta si me lo preguntaran” (I would know the answer if they asked me).

As with the other Spanish verb tenses, I’ve provided a list of examples below. 

Examples of the Conditional Tense “Saber” Conjugation

• Yo sabría la respuesta si me lo preguntaran. (I would know the answer if they asked me.)
• Tú sabrías la verdad si investigaras más. (You would know the truth if you investigated further.)
• Él sabría hablar francés si estudiara más idiomas. (He would know how to speak French if he studied more languages.)
• Ella sabría resolver el problema si tuviera más experiencia. (She would know how to solve the problem if she had more experience.)
• Nosotros sabríamos la causa del problema si analizáramos los datos. (We would know the cause of the problem if we analyzed the data.)
• Vosotros sabríais la respuesta si prestárais atención en clase. (You all would know the answer if you paid attention in class.)
• Ellos sabrían dónde buscar si consultaran el mapa. (They would know where to look if they consulted the map.)
• Ustedes sabrían cómo proceder si recibieran instrucciones claras. (You would know how to proceed if you received clear instructions.)

Preterite Perfect Tense 

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	he	sabido
you	tú	has	sabido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	ha	sabido
we	nosotros,nosotras	hemos	sabido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habéis	sabido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	han	sabido

When We Use The Preterite Perfect Tense in Spanish

In Spanish, the present perfect tense of the verb “saber” is employed to indicate actions or events that were completed before a specific point in the past. It is formed with the conjugated verb “haber”, followed by the past participle “sabido”.

This makes it really easy. Once you know how to conjugate “haber” in Spanish, you can form the perfect tense for any regular verb.

Some examples of “saber” in the perfect tense are below. 

Examples of “Saber” in the Preterite Perfect Tense

• Yo he sabido la verdad desde el principio. (I have known the truth from the beginning.)
• Tú has sabido la respuesta todo el tiempo. (You have known the answer all along.)
• Él ha sabido la noticia desde la mañana. (He has known the news since this morning.)
• Ella ha sabido el resultado del examen desde ayer. (She has known the exam result since yesterday.)
• Nosotros hemos sabido la fecha del evento desde la semana pasada. (We have known the date of the event since last week.)
• Vosotros habéis sabido la ubicación del tesoro desde hace meses. (You all have known the location of the treasure for months.)
• Ellos han sabido el plan desde el primer día. (They have known the plan from the beginning.)
• Ustedes han sabido la respuesta correcta desde el comienzo. (You have known the correct answer from the start.)

Pluperfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	había	sabido
you	tú	habías	sabido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	había	sabido
we	nosotros,nosotras	habíamos	sabido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habíais	sabido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habían	sabido

When We Use The Pluperfect Tense in Spanish

In Spanish, the pluperfect tense of the irregular verb “saber” is used to indicate actions or events that had been completed before another action or moment in the past. 

Again, we need the auxiliary verb “haber” and the participle to express knowledge or information that had been acquired prior to a specified point in the past.

For instance, “había sabido la respuesta antes de que llegaras” (I had known the answer before you arrived).

Examples of “Saber” in the Pluperfect Tense

• Yo había sabido la verdad antes de que me lo dijeras. (I had known the truth before you told me.)
• Tú habías sabido la respuesta antes de que te preguntaran. (You had known the answer before they asked you.)
• Él había sabido la noticia desde hacía mucho tiempo. (He had known the news for a long time.)
• Ella había sabido el resultado del examen antes de que lo publicaran. (She had known the exam result before they published it.)
• Nosotros habíamos sabido la fecha del evento desde el principio. (We had known the date of the event from the beginning.)
• Vosotros habíais sabido la ubicación del tesoro antes de que lo encontraran. (You all had known the location of the treasure before they found it.)
• Ellos habían sabido el plan desde el inicio del proyecto. (They had known the plan since the beginning of the project.)
• Ustedes habían sabido la respuesta correcta antes de que se acabara el tiempo. (You had known the correct answer before time ran out.)

Future Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	habré	sabido
you	tú	habrás	sabido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	habrá	sabido
we	nosotros,nosotras	habremos	sabido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habréis	sabido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habrán	sabido

When We Use The Future Perfect Tense in Spanish

In Spanish, the future perfect tense of the verb “saber” is employed to indicate actions or events that will have been completed by a specific point in the future.

The literal translation is “will have known”. 

This tense expresses knowledge or information that will have been acquired before another future action or moment. 

For instance, “habré sabido la respuesta antes de la reunión” (I will have known the answer before the meeting).

Examples of the Future Perfect Tense “Saber” Conjugation

• Yo habré sabido la verdad antes del fin de semana. (I will have known the truth by the weekend.)
• Tú habrás sabido la respuesta antes de la entrevista. (You will have known the answer before the interview.)
• Él habrá sabido la noticia para la conferencia. (He will have known the news by the conference.)
• Ella habrá sabido el resultado del examen antes de la graduación. (She will have known the exam result before graduation.)
• Nosotros habremos sabido la fecha del evento antes de la invitación. (We will have known the date of the event before the invitation.)
• Vosotros habréis sabido la ubicación del tesoro para la expedición. (You all will have known the location of the treasure for the expedition.)
• Ellos habrán sabido el plan para la próxima reunión. (They will have known the plan for the next meeting.)
• Ustedes habrán sabido la respuesta correcta antes del examen. (You will have known the correct answer before the exam.)

Conditional Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	habría	sabido
you	tú	habrías	sabido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	habría	sabido
we	nosotros,nosotras	habríamos	sabido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habríais	sabido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habrían	sabido

When We Use The Conditional Perfect Tense in Spanish

The conditional perfect tense of the verb “saber” expresses hypothetical actions or events that would have been completed under certain conditions in the past. 

It indicates knowledge or information that would have been acquired before a specific point or event in the past.

Again, if you have learned the conjugations of “haber” then this construction will be very simple for you. Some examples are below. 

Examples of the Conditional Perfect Tense “Saber” Conjugation

• Yo habría sabido la respuesta si me lo hubieran preguntado. (I would have known the answer if they had asked me.)
• Tú habrías sabido la solución si hubieras investigado más. (You would have known the solution if you had investigated further.)
• Él/ella habría sabido la noticia si hubiera estado pendiente. (He would have known the news if he had been paying attention.)
• Nosotros habríamos sabido la fecha del evento si nos lo hubieran comunicado antes. (We would have known the date of the event if they had informed us earlier.)
• Vosotros habríais sabido la ubicación del tesoro si hubierais seguido el mapa correctamente. (You all would have known the location of the treasure if you had followed the map correctly.)
• Ellos habrían sabido la respuesta si hubieran escuchado la pregunta. (They would have known the answer if they had listened to the question.)
• Ustedes habrían sabido qué hacer si hubieran tenido más información. (You would have known what to do if you had had more information.)

Present Subjunctive

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	sepa
you	tú	sepas
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	sepa
we	nosotros,nosotras	sepamos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	sepáis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	sepan

When We Use The Present Subjunctive

If you have read other conjugation guides on my site, then you’ll know that the present subjunctive tense is used in subordinate clauses following certain expressions of doubt, uncertainty, desire, or necessity. 

You use this tense to indicate uncertainty regarding knowledge or information in the present or future.

Some examples of “saber” in the present subjunctive are below. 

Examples of the Present Subjunctive “Saber” Conjugation

• Espero que sepas cómo resolver este problema. (I hope you know how to solve this problem.)
• Dudo que ella sepa dónde está la llave. (I doubt she knows where the key is.)
• Es importante que nosotros sepamos cómo proceder en esta situación. (It’s important that we know how to proceed in this situation.)
• Quiero que ellos sepan hablar inglés fluidamente. (I want them to know how to speak English fluently.)
• Ojalá que vosotros sepáis cómo cuidar de vuestra mascota adecuadamente. (I hope you all know how to take care of your pet properly.)
• Es necesario que ustedes sepan qué hacer en caso de emergencia. (It’s necessary that you know what to do in case of emergency.)

Imperfect Subjunctive

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	supiera, supiese
you	tú	supieras, supieses
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	supiera, supiese
we	nosotros,nosotras	supiéramos, supiésemos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	supierais, supieseis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	supieran, supiesen

When We Use The Imperfect Subjunctive in Spanish

Just like the present subjunctive, the imperfect subjunctive in Spanish is used in subordinate clauses after certain expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, or hypothetical situations. 

However, this time in the past. This tense indicates uncertainty, unreality, or non-fulfillment regarding knowledge or information in the past.

For instance, “Dudaba que supieras la respuesta” (I doubted that you knew the answer) or “Si yo supiera la verdad, te lo diría” (If I knew the truth, I would tell you).

The use of the imperfect subjunctive followed by the conditional tense is a great way to boost your exam marks as it illustrates knowledge of one of the most complex sentence structures in the Spanish language. 

So, try to memorize any of the examples below.

Examples of the Imperfect Subjunctive Tense “Saber” Conjugation

• Dudaba que él supiera la verdad. (I doubted that he knew the truth.)
• Si yo supiera la respuesta, te lo diría. (If I knew the answer, I would tell you.)
• No creía que ellos supieran cómo resolver el problema. (I didn’t believe they knew how to solve the problem.)
• Esperaba que tú supieras la ubicación exacta. (I hoped you knew the exact location.)
• Era posible que nosotros supiéramos más de lo que demostrábamos. (It was possible that we knew more than we showed.)
• No pensábamos que vosotros supierais tanto sobre el tema. (We didn’t think you all knew so much about the topic.)
• Me sorprendía que ellos supieran tanto a su edad. (I was surprised they knew so much at their age.)
• Era poco probable que ustedes supieran el plan secreto. (It was unlikely that you knew the secret plan.)

Preterite Perfect Subjunctive

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	hubiera,hubiese	sabido
you	tú	hubieras,hubieses	sabido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	hubiera,hubiese	sabido
we	nosotros,nosotras	hubiéramos,hubiésemos	sabido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	hubierais,hubieseis	sabido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	hubieran,hubiesen	sabido

When We Use The Preterite Perfect Subjunctive

In Spanish, the preterite perfect subjunctive mood is used in subordinate clauses to express actions that hypothetically occurred before another past action or event.

With the following ”saber” conjugations, it denotes knowledge or information that, in a hypothetical scenario, would have been acquired before a specified point in the past.

Again, I have provided some examples below. 

Examples of the Preterite Perfect Subjunctive “Saber” Conjugation

• Yo haya sabido la verdad antes de tomar una decisión. (I may have known the truth before making a decision.)
• Tú hayas sabido la respuesta correcta. (You may have known the correct answer.)
• Él haya sabido cómo resolver el problema antes que nadie. (He may have known how to solve the problem before anyone else.)
• Nosotros hayamos sabido la fecha del evento con antelación. (We may have known the date of the event in advance.)
• Vosotros hayáis sabido la noticia importante desde hace días. (You all may have known the important news for days.)
• Ellos hayan sabido la causa del accidente antes de la investigación oficial. (They may have known the cause of the accident before the official investigation.)

Affirmative Imperative

Pronouns	Pronombres
you	tú	¡sabe!
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	¡sepa!
we	nosotros,nosotras	¡sepamos!
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	¡sabed!
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	¡sepan!

When We Use The Affirmative Imperative

If you have read any of my other verb conjugation guides, you’ll know that the affirmative imperative is used to give commands or instructions in a direct, affirmative manner. 

With the verb “saber”, you would use it when instructing someone to share their knowledge or skills willingly and assertively. For instance, “¡Sabe cómo resolverlo!” (Know how to solve it!).

Examples of Saber in the Affirmative Imperative

• ¡Sabe las reglas del juego antes de empezar a jugar! (Know the rules of the game before starting to play!)
• ¡Sabe la dirección y cómo llegar allí! (Know the address and how to get there!)

Negative Imperative

Pronouns	Pronombres
you	tú	¡no sepas!
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	¡no sepa!
we	nosotros,nosotras	¡no sepamos!
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	¡no sepáis!
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	¡no sepan!

When We Use The Negative Imperative

The negative imperative form of the verb “saber” is used to give commands or instructions in a negative manner, indicating what someone should not do.

Examples of Saber in the Negative Imperative

• “No sepas la respuesta antes de salir.” (Don’t know the answer before you leave.)
• “No sepas lo que quieres decir.” (Don’t know what you mean.)

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